Replace Ceiling Electrical Box

We use an old work electrical box to replace a damaged or loose.

Replace ceiling electrical box.

Even so you should run through the calculations to be sure. They ll have a combination outlet switch or a pair of outlets switches inside. The family handyman editor in chief gary wentz will show you how to remove an old light and install a ceiling fan brace so you can properly install a new c. If the box has a cable clamp remove the locknut.

If it s nailed to a joist pry it free with a flat bar. Disconnect the cable from the box. Pry the tab and pull the cable out. Having access to your attic is convenient when replacing an electrical box in the ceiling but you also can do the work from inside your room under the ceiling.

Pry out the box s mounting nails and pull the box down from the ceiling. The round or octagonal box houses lightweight fixtures or safety devices in the ceiling. Deep octagonal or round ceiling boxes are quite large and overcrowding is rarely a problem. The box shown has a slot that the cable slides through.

See the section on calculating box sizes. Broken plastic electrical box swing clamp supports allowed the box to fall from the ceiling leaving the light fixture hanging by its electrical wires. The nec dictates how many wires and clamps you can safely put in an electrical box. Remove the old electrical box from the ceiling.

Typical 1 1 2 to 2 in. If your light fixture pulls out from the ceiling chances are that the light box has cracked. How to replace electrical box for ceiling light. Most ceiling boxes are large enough.

Hold a 1 2 inch thick pancake box against the ceiling centered on a joist and trace around it with a pencil. Then pry the bar from the joists. Ceiling light boxes consist of metal or plastic boxes. Repair a broken plastic electrical box mounted in a ceiling or wall this article describes how to repair a ceiling light fixture electrical box that was falling out of the ceiling.

A square electrical box also known as a double gang box houses two devices. Number 10 x 1 5 sheet metal screws were used to secured the pancake box to the ceiling joist. If it s suspended from a bar you may have to take off a metal plate to unscrew the box.